YuGiOh GX: A Duelist's Biography
by Otaku Jet
Summary: I originally wrote this as a way of creatively reflecting on my early life as a Duelist. The main character goes through many kinds of the same trials and experiences I did when I was a young Duelist. Each chapter is named for a particular metal song.
1. Prologue: The Journal

Prologue

"So, you went to Duel Academy too?" The young girl exclaimed, her emerald eyes filled with wonderment.

"Yes, when I was about 16." The teenager's father replied, recalling his days of youth.

"You must have been really strong!" Her father laughed at this.

"Oh no, I was actually quite weak."

"That can't be! You had a really powerful deck! Mom said so!"

The man chuckled again, looking down at his daughter. "There is more to my story than the cards I used." He looked at his daughter, who was utterly confused by what her father had just told her. He smiled and stood up, walking over to a bookshelf in the corner. He pulled out a small red book, a journal.

"If you really want to know what I was like back then, then you should read this." He said, handing the book to his daughter.

"Is this like, a diary?"

"I suppose you could call it that. I wrote that after I was finished at Duel Academy."

"This is your diary?" Her father nodded.

"Would you like to read it?"

"Sure!" She chirped, opening the book as she began to read…


	2. Stone Cold

Semester 1:

Stone Cold

I stared at the monolith that was the Duel Academy, established by the world-renowned Seto Kaiba and home of some of the world's greatest duelists. I could never deny it, I felt nervous.

Oh, please excuse me, I have yet to introduce myself. My name is Dorian Quartermain. I have been credited as one of the top students at Domino City Duel Prep, and have competed in tournaments on the national level. But enough about me, now where was I? Oh yes…

I stepped down the gangplank of the ship that had brought me to Duel Academy Island. I held the long-tailed blue blazer in my arms. Over the week I had spent at home preparing myself for my years at Duel Academy, I had taken a few…shall I say "fashionable liberties" with the uniform I had been given.

Now is the time for me to explain a few things about myself. I have been known to have an affinity for the unusual. When I say unusual, I mean the kinds of things one would not even hope to find in the stock room at Hot Topic. When my parents first discovered this, it would not be an overstatement to say they were surprised. I suppose the presence of Hellsing and Edward Scissorhands posters on my walls had not helped my case at the time. But once again, I digress.

I noted the presence of several students already clad in their respective uniforms, so it was only natural for me to deduce the necessity of following suit. I slid into the coat, and noticed that several sets of eyes now rested upon me. My uniform coat had been stripped of its sleeves, and a long chain hung from shoulder to shoulder, draping across my front. The tails of the coat had been cut in the same style that Batman's cape had been fashioned. I wore a set of black wrist gauntlets and a muscle T-shirt, black jeans and a pair of steel-toe boots. I stood with my arms over my chest, a patient look on my face. I delighted in watching the fearful and ridiculing eyes fall upon me, I enjoyed the confusion they exhibited towards my unorthodox appearance. Of course, I had made sure to secure permission from Chancellor Shepard before going to such extremes. As I stood amongst the countless students, part of me had doubts, but those fears were balanced with an inner confidence.

The all school orientation was over quickly enough, and I was ready to head for my dorm. I was assigned to Obelisk Blue, in which, from what I had heard, resided the academy's top students. I had been placed in that dorm because of my almost instantaneous victory over Dr. Vellian Crowler, the school's top professor. A small victorious smile spread across my face as I thought back on that day.

_Initiating flashback sequence…_

"Alright Doctor, you go first!" I declared. Dr. Crowler sneered, and drew his first card.

_**Dorian: 4000**_

_**Crowler: 4000**_

"I summon Ancient Gear Soldier!" the professor announced, his voice a shrill, nasal trumpet that I had no doubt scared children. His monster materialized on the field, a rusted warrior that looked like an artifact of Russia's early industrial age. "I then play Ancient Gear Drill! This allows me to draw a spell card from my deck as long as I have a monster with Ancient gear in its name on the field!" I stood and shuffled my feet impatiently as Crowler proceeded with his move. I looked down at the cards in my hand and chuckled inside. This duel was mine…I knew exactly what to do.

"My final card is Ancient Gear Castle!"

"Geez, are there any cards in this guy's deck that AREN'T Ancient Gears?!" I thought mockingly.

"When a monster is normally summoned or set, I can place one counter on this card. Then, if I am tribute summoning a monster with Ancient Gear in its name, I can sacrifice this card instead of a monster, so long as I have counters on this card for each monster required for the tribute." Crowler grinned. I laughed on the inside, he was so confident! It almost made me sad that I would have to crush him so swiftly as I drew my next card.

"I activate Future Fusion!" I pulled my deck out of the duel disk and withdrew every machine-type monster contained within it (at the present, I had ten machines still in my deck.)

"What are you doing?!" Crowler shouted, clearly noticing as I placed every monster I had drawn into my graveyard.

"Simple. I played Future Fusion, which allows me to send any fusion material monsters in my deck to the graveyard. Then in two turns, the fusion monster will be summoned to my side of the field. However…" My voice trailed off into a low chuckle as I played my next card. "…this card ought to speed things up a bit: Overload Fusion! Now I can remove all the monsters I just sent to the graveyard from the game and summon the fusion monster automatically! So come forth...Chimeratech Overdragon!!"

Crowler stumbled backward as my monster appeared, a towering, metallic-black, five-headed hydra loomed over the arena, casting a dark shadow over Dr. Crowler. The Overdragon's cold red eyes stared down at my opponent. "Now, on to the mathematics portion of this exam. I used a total of ten monsters in the fusion of this godly creature, when multiplied by 800 points thanks to Chimeratech's effect, that gives him 8,000 attack points!"

_**Chimeratech Overdragon**_

_**ATK: 8,000**_

_**DEF: 8,000**_

"AND, my Overdragon can attack once for every monster used in his fusion summoning, giving him a grand total of ten different attacks! Now Chimeratech, fire at will! Time-space Obliteration Wave!!" I thundered. Chimeratech's septuplet heads formed a circle and pooled their energies, creating a crimson orb in the center of their formation. In a flash, the red beam exploded forth, consuming Dr. Crowler in its hellish radiance. When the light faded, Crowler fell to his knees. The duel was over, I had passed with flying colors, particularly for winning the duel in my first turn.

_Exiting flashback sequence…_

I laughed triumphantly as I opened the door to my dorm room. I stepped in, the fluffy carpet squished beneath my boots. The room was massive, a lavish array of furniture spread about the chamber. I tossed my luggage over onto a couch and stepped over to the enormous window, noticing out of the corner of my eye an additional set of luggage neatly stored in a corner of the room. I stood there, the bright sunlight washing in over me. I looked out, my room stood at the edge of a cliff which overlooked the south shore of the island. Lush forests and bright beaches expanded for miles. I smiled, knowing how great I was. I reveled in my own accomplishments, all of which had led me here.

_Self reflection time! Yay!_

All right looking back, I have no problem admitting that I was an absolute jerk. Okay, so I was more than a jerk, I was a Class-A, big-headed, narcissistic, back-stabbing son of a -beep- But hey, a lot of heroes start off that way, right? Well anyway, you're about to see one of the events that began my "great transformation!"

I heard a knock at the door, and approached it. I answered, and standing there was a beautiful young woman, dressed in a female Obelisk Blue uniform (a short skirt and top). She greeted me with a smile.

"Are you one of the new students?" she chirped. I nodded.

"Dorian Quartermain." I answered, giving her a slight bow.

"I'm Alexis Rhodes. Pleasure to meet you." She replied, extending her hand. I was surprised, to say the least, to see she did not seem to find me frightening in any way. I took her hand and shook it.

"I was just heading to the duel arena to meet some friends of mine, would you like to join me?" Alexis invited. I nodded silently, shut my door and followed behind. We reached the entrance of the Obelisk Blue dorm, and I could feel the uneasy eyes fixed upon me from the crowd. I enjoyed it, the fear they exhibited. It gave me a sense of power.

"So Dorian, what brought you to the academy?" I heard Alexis inquire ahead of me. She turned her head in my direction, giving me the benefit of her attention.

"I came because I want to be the best. I don't care what I have to do. I simply want to prove my strength to the world." It was an honest answer, and at the time I had no qualms about giving such a response. But after seeing Alexis's expression sadden the way it had when she heard me say that, it made me begin to think about what I was really doing.

"Well, to each his own…" she sighed.

We had almost reached the duel arena, when Alexis was greeted by a very tall, dark-looking young man. His indigo locks draped down the sides and back of his head. His eyes held a look of frozen intensity. "Hello Alexis." He greeted.

"Oh! Hi Zane!" Alexis sounded very happy to see him.

"Dr. Crowler is looking for you, he says it's important." Alexis rolled her eyes, nodding finally.

"I have to go, it was nice meeting you Dorian!" she said, waving to me and following Zane, who looked back at me through an icy glare. It was at this point that my life-altering experiences would begin…that stare pierced my heart, and created a tiny crack of fear in my spirit…a crack that would eventually grow larger as all cracks do.

At the time however, I thought nothing of this. I waved and decided to do some exploring. As I began my solo trek about the campus, I felt a strange sensation in my heart, as if my life would be altered by my years there.

Now, don't get me wrong, I had about the intelligence of a rock when it came to morals at that point. It was just a feeling, okay?

As I set foot into the central courtyard, I felt the breeze pick up slightly. I stopped, feeling as if I was being watched. I felt chills, I knew someone was there.

"_So you get into the academy, and suddenly you're the king of games…pitiful."_

"Hey! Who said that?!" I demanded, looking in every direction for the source of the voice.

"_You have a long road ahead of you…be prepared for the worst."_

The wind seemed to die down once more. I had no idea who it was that had spoken to me, and it was something that haunted me all through the Obelisk Welcome dinner. Who was that person that had spoken to me? Had I imagined the whole thing? No, it was too real for that.

It wasn't until later that night, while I was lying in bed that I was able to push all thoughts of that event to the back of my mind. I pulled out my cards, and the top card fell out of the box onto my chest. I held it up, my prized card: Chimeratech Overdragon. That card had helped we win tournaments, and it got me into Duel Academy. Without it, I could never have made it as far as I had.

At least, this is what I thought at the time. As I flipped through my cards, the words of the mysterious voice crept back into my mind. What did it mean when it said "be prepared for the worst"? I couldn't help but feel rattled by those words as I set my cards down and pulled my blanket up over myself.

"So, you're my roommate…" a soft voice spoke in the darkness. Naturally, I was startled by this, jolting upright in my bed and staring into the shadows. The figure who had just spoken to me approached my bed. He wore a pair of rectangular glasses, his blazer closed. He spoke softly, almost a whisper.

"Who are you?" I queried, recovering my composure.

"Non Ame."

"No Name?" I retorted. The figure sighed impatiently and retired to his respective bed. He spoke not a word further, so I put two and two together in my mind and decided he did not want to continue a conversation, so I obliged to his wishes. My eyes drooped as I drifted off into slumber, eagerly awaiting my first day of classes.

The next morning, I awoke to find No Name already gone. My expression dropped, I had been looking forward to getting a better look at my new roommate. I shrugged and stretched out my arms. Feeling the morning sun on my back, I stood up and got myself dressed. I glanced over at the clock.

"Geez, I have an hour before class starts." I grumbled, sliding into my uniform. The cold chain jingled against my chest as I grabbed my book bag, deck and Duel Disk and stepped out of the dorm.

The campus was almost barren, save for a few duelists here and there. Most of them were Obelisks, the others were Ras, I didn't see any Slifers up and about.

"It figures, those Slifer slackers wouldn't be caught dead getting up early." I thought behind my characteristically arrogant smile. The other Obelisks greeted me with relatively respectful bows, recognizing me as an equal. I returned their courtesy with a simple nod. I hadn't become familiar enough with anyone's strategies or deck styles to realistically see anyone as an equal, so I made certain not to exaggerate my social gestures.

_More self-reflection! Woohoo!_

Okay, so it's pretty clear at this point that I was a typical Obelisk Blue student, right? I mean come on, pompous grin, slinging insults, bashing the Slifer Red students, what could be better proof? Okay, so now I'm just beating myself up. Anyway, let's fast forward to my first duel of the day, in Dr. Crowler's Duelist Form and Presentation class.

_**Dorian: 4000**_

Opponent: 4000 

"Alright, you take the first turn!" I said, grinning as I looked down at my hand. "With Future Fusion, Overload Fusion, Change of Heart and Jinzo in my hand on the first draw, this duel's gonna be a snap!" I thought with glee. My grin widened as my opponent's turn played out.

Meanwhile, up in the stadium a dark figure took a seat in one of the top rows to have a good view of the duel. His left hand moved up to move a few strands of his long red hair out of his face as he saw the grin spreading across Dorian's face. Behind his sunglasses his eyes narrowed at this new duelist's choice. "Passing the first turn, not exactly a promising decision, but we'll see."

"I summon Reflect Bounder to the field! Next up is two face-down cards! Your move!" 

A triumphant chuckle escaped my lips as I drew my next card. "I play Change of Heart!" I declared, but was halted when my opponent flipped his face-down card face-up. 

"Sorry, but you've just activated my Magic Drain card! Now unless you can discard one spell card from your hand, your spell card is negated!" I grumbled angrily as I placed my Overload Fusion into the graveyard. My opponent's monster was placed on my side of the field. I decided if I could not win the duel this turn, I might as well pay my opponent back for hindering my plans. 

"I sacrifice your Reflect Bounder and summon Jinzo to the field!" My smile returned as my monster, a tall, nightmarish android with glowing red eyes appeared. 

_**Jinzo  
ATK: 2400  
DEF: 1500**_

"Now, I'll repay you for shattering my plan! Jinzo, strike his life points directly!" My android reared up, standing nearly nine feet tall, an enormous black energy orb appeared in front of it. "Cyber Energy Shock!" I shouted as the orb was sent flying at my opponent, who screamed as the blast took an enormous chunk out of his life points.

_**Dorian: 4000**_

Opponent: 1600 

"I end my move with a face-down card. Your turn…I suggest you try fighting back if you want to survive…" I growled. My opponent drew his card, and immediately made his move. 

The dark figure in the stand's hand went to his forehead as he shook his head. "Too much emotion you fool, too much bloody emotion. And telling him that you just lost your initial plan is pathetic." He looked up to the duel again as Jinzo's attack took over half of Dorian's opponents life points. "One play does not a powerful duelist make."

"I play Lightning Vortex! By discarding one card from my hand, all of your face-up monsters are destroyed! Say goodbye to Jinzo!" I grunted with irritation as Jinzo was obliterated by a shower of lightning bolts. "Next, I play Graceful Charity! I draw three cards, then discard two from my hand." While he was carrying out this maneuver, I gazed down at my hand. Even though he had managed to get rid of my Overload Fusion and thus stave off the apocalyptic rise of Chimeratech, I knew that it was simply a delay…he would taste the wrath of my ultimate beast in due course. 

Okay, now I'm sounding like a royal douche bag. Well, it's called dramatic effect, okay? Deal with it. 

"Next, I remove the Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke and Giant Orc that I just discarded in order to summon my Chaos Sorcerer!" His monster materialized, a mage clad in robes adorned with straps and buckles. 

_**Chaos Sorcerer  
ATK: 2300  
DEF: 2000**_

"Now Sorcerer, attack him!" As the mage approached, I grinned and revealed my face-down card. 

"I activate Call of the Haunted! This allows me to resurrect one of my monsters, and I choose Jinzo! Now my android, return to me!" I released an almost villainous laugh as Jinzo rematerialized. "And since your Chaos Sorcerer has 2300 attack points, and Jinzo has 2400 attack points, your sorcerer is destroyed!" The mage's attack hit Jinzo, but was immediately sent back, blasting the magician to smithereens. My opponent released a frustrated grunt and slid a card into his duel disc. 

"I set this card face-down. Your move."

I chuckled again and drew a card. "I set this monster in defense position, that's all I need." I said with a smile. "Your move, kid." I said in a manner that was both confident and condescending.

In the stands, the figure straightened up some. "And such arrogance is unbecoming a true duelist."

My opponent, who was growing more and more tense by the minute, drew his card. "I summon Chainsaw Insect in attack position!" A monster that resembled an enormous stag beetle appeared, however instead of pincers, this insect bore a pair of whirring chainsaws! 

_**Chainsaw Insect  
ATK: 2400  
DEF: 0  
**_

"Now Chainsaw Insect, attack his face-down card!" The chainsaws buzzed all the louder as his monster charged in. My card revealed itself, a small female sorcerer in red and purple robes. 

"Ouch, you're just not doing very well today, are you? You just stumbled into my Magician of Faith, which allows me to bring one spell card back from my Graveyard. Also, because your insect did battle with one of my monsters, I get a free card!" I reached into my graveyard, my face seemingly frozen in its telltale smirk as I drew my card. "So I'll take back my Overload Fusion and allow you to continue." My opponent, quite agitated at this point, set one card down on his duel disc. 

"I place this card face-down and end my turn."

"Overload? He plans around fusions? By the gods, he's no different than any other duelist here, and yet he speaks as though he were unmatched." The figures hand touched the lower right pocket of his trench coat. "Then again he is a blue, so I guess such foolishness is to be expected." 

"Good…that was your last turn. I'm happy to know that you couldn't come up with anything better." I drew my card. "Now, I activate Future Fusion! This allows me to throw fusion material monsters from my deck into the graveyard, and in two turns I get to summon that monster!" Just as I had done against Dr. Crowler, I selected every machine that was present in my deck. At present, there were eight. As I slipped them into my graveyard, I proceeded with my dreaded one-turn-kill strategy. "I continue with Overload Fusion! With this, I can remove the monsters I just sent to the graveyard from the game, and summon my fusion monster immediately!" My voice exploded into a thunderous laugh as my monster appeared. A blinding light enveloped the field, and when it cleared, there it was…you guessed it, Chimeratech Overdragon!

_**Chimeratech Overdragon  
ATK: 8000  
DEF: 8000**_

"Before I can do anything, Chimeratech Overdragon destroys all other cards on my side of the field, so farewell for now, Jinzo!" the android that stood next to the Overdragon was obliterated. "Fortunately, he won't be gone long, I play Monster Reborn! Come back to me, Jinzo!" almost as instantly, Jinzo reappeared on my side of the field. I could see the fear in my opponent's eyes. "Now, kneel before this god of machines!" I thundered, pointing straight at my opponent. "Your life points against this monster are a candle dying in a rainstorm! Now, feel the rage of my ultimate beast! Overdragon, finish this fool off!" My mechanical dragon prepared its attack, and when the blast fired, I could have sworn I felt the arena quake. My triumphant laughter rang across the arena as a cloud of smoke blanketed the area where my opponent once stood. When the smoke cleared, I could hear Dr. Crowler applauding and laughing his haughty, obscenely annoying chortle.

A raised eyebrow was the only expression visible from the dark figure in the stands. "A 'god of machines' is it now?" The figure's head slowly lowered as his right hand reached up and touched his coat's left chest side. Unknown to the rest of the dueling academy, there in a pocket hidden on the inside of the coat sat three cards that even now, after having them for almost a year, caused even him to straighten out of respect for the power they possessed. He took in a slow breath as he looked back up to the arena. "Well then, I suppose that you've done alright boy, for a fool at least. But the time will come shortly when you will understand what a god can truly do. Plans will soon be set into motion that I can only hope will teach you the true nature of dueling."

"Excellent work, Mr. Quartermain!" Crowler cheered, stepping up onto the arena. "Now then, who can tell me what was unique about Dorian's performance?" 

A student raised her hand. "He seemed to be getting really into the duel." 

"Yes, very good. Mr. Quartermain put on quite a show, any examples of this?" 

Another hand jutted up, this time a young man. "Well for one thing, all the laughing he was doing kinda made him sound like a villain." 

I laughed on the inside. A villain? The thought of such a spectacle brought the smile back to my face. I could see the different expressions of the students in the class. Some were admiring, others in shock at how overwhelming the circumstances of my victory had been.

But up in the stands, there was one face visible to Dorian that showed nothing. The figure slowly rose up out of his seat and made his way to one of the exits. At the door, he turned around to take one last look at Dorian, marking the young duelist's face in his memory before leaving.

"Mr. Quartermain, you may step down now." Dr. Crowler said, nudging me. With a nod I complied, descending the stairs that allowed direct access from the floor to the arena. As I returned to my seat, I spotted a young woman looking at me out of the corner of my eye. She looked at me with an intrigued gleam in her eyes. I could not help but return her entranced stare, there was something about her that soothed the inner tyrant that fed my ambition. I took my seat and slid my deck out of my Duel Disk. For the rest of class, I jotted down notes on Crowler's so-called "Proper Dueling Performance Techniques", all the while thinking that if I had to listen to that snooty, wannabe English voice for any longer I might bust out and kill someone.

When the eighty minutes of hell finally ended, I rushed out of the classroom. Although I never looked back, I got the feeling that girl was still watching me. I found myself unable to escape from this as the day progressed. It was during lunch break that I finally found out who this mysterious watcher was…when she approached me personally.

"Hi there!" she chirped. I was somewhat startled by this cheerful greeting that I had received from a girl that I had never met before then.

"Hello." I greeted, trying my best to sound nonchalant. I looked at her closely. She appeared to have a natural tan, her long black hair draping down to her shoulders. Her violet eyes held a joyful gleam…she appeared to be the embodiment of happiness. She too wore an Obelisk Blue uniform, exactly like the one I had seen Alexis wearing.

"I really enjoyed watching you duel." She said outright. I nearly choked on my drink.

"You did?" I sputtered. She nodded happily.

"Yup! Oh, I'm sorry…" she said, looking mildly embarrassed. She held out her hand to me. "My name's Madeline. Madeline Reed." She introduced. I shook her hand.

"I'm Dorian Quartermain." I replied.

"Well Dorian, mind if I join you for lunch?" Madeline queried behind a gentle smile.

"Be my guest, Miss Reed." I answered. Happily, she sat down on the opposite side of the lunch table from me. She set her lunch tray down, where I could observe its contents. A Cesar salad with water. This intrigued me, to say the least. "Must be a vegetarian." I thought as I took a bite of my cheeseburger.

"So, is that the only deck you run? Or do you have others?" She inquired, taking a nibble of her salad. I shook my head, waiting to finish chewing my food before speaking.

"I only run one deck." I answered. Madeline raised an eyebrow, as if this answer was odd to her. "How about you?" I queried, trying to continue the conversation.

"I have two that I run: Angels and Spirits." She replied with a proud nod and grin.

"Two decks? Isn't that difficult?" I asked. Madeline shook her head, maintaining her childlike smile.

"Nope! In fact, I've always thought having more than one deck is a good idea! It keeps your opponents guessing!" she said behind a playful wink. I nodded, she had a point. There was something about her, a charm that made me feel younger as I watched her. Even her name, Madeline, gave me an odd feeling inside. "So, what's your next class?" she chirped again.

"Uh…" I pulled out my class list and examined it. "Proper utilization of Spell and Trap cards."

"Really? I have that class too!" Madeline cheered. Her smile seemed eternal, was there ever a moment where she wasn't displaying pure happiness?

I would eventually find the answer to that question was undeniably…yes.

As we walked to our next class, I could feel Madeline keeping the gap between us closed as best as she could. I could tell this was a bit awkward for both of us, especially since we had only just met. Although at this point it could not be argued, there was definitely a connection between us…even if we could not see it at the time.

The next two months proceeded as the beginning of the year had, my selfish victories only serving to fuel the arrogant fire that burned within me. I had also begun to spend much of my free time with Madeline, discussing strategies, helping her with her deck, etc. She was always so cheerful, yet when I would talk about my victories, her face seemed to darken, but only until the subject was changed.

Okay in retrospect, I know I was intimidating to her. I also know that she knew I wouldn't have given her the time of day had she not been an Obelisk Blue student. Wait a minute, why do I keep cutting into the story?! Sorry folks, I'll leave you alone now.

I sat in the bleachers, looking down at the duel arena. It was Madeline's final duel before Winter Break. Her opponent was a Slifer Red student with wild, bright blue hair and round glasses. The boy was nervous by nature, always appearing to second-guess himself on his moves. In hindsight, I should like to have given the boy some pointers, but at the time I would not have been caught dead with one of the Slifers. Madeline had started the duel, using her spirit deck to not only keep her life points above 4000, but to also keep the young Slifer at bay. She currently had two face-down cards, and one monster in defense mode. The Slifer's field was empty.

_**Madeline: 5500**_

_**Slifer: 1800**_

"It's your move!" Madeline chirped as she always did. The Slifer shakily drew his card.

"I summon Steamroid in attack mode!" The Slifer declared, slapping his card onto his duel disk. A giant locomotive with cartoon-like eyes appeared, revving its wheels and preparing for assault. "Now Steamroid, attack!" The train sped towards Madeline, but she raised her index finger and wagged it, giving the Slifer a cute wink.

"Sorry, but that activates my trap! Draining Shield!" Her trap activated, and a crystal bubble appeared around Madeline, absorbing Steamroid's attack and giving Madeline's life points a significant boost.

_**Madeline: 7800**_

_**Slifer: 1800**_

The Slifer gave a hopeless moan, setting another card face-down. "Your move, Madeline." He groaned. Madeline clapped her hands and drew a card. As I watched, I felt the same feeling I had when I first met her, that youthful spark that made me forget about my glory momentarily. She was having the time of her life down there, but not because she was winning. She enjoyed dueling itself…this was something that would take me the years to come to learn for myself.

_"Strange…perhaps she cares not whether she wins or loses?" _

I turned my head sharply. I could have sworn I had just heard the voice I had heard on my first day at the academy! I looked up and down and all around, but nobody was there. I looked back at the arena, an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Even as I saw that Madeline had won the match with one of her spirit monsters, I still felt that feeling…the crack in my heart had just grown a little.

When I returned to my dorm that evening, I once again found that No Name wasn't there. "Geez, does this guy ever sleep?" I wondered aloud.

"Quite frequently."

I jumped when I heard No Name's voice behind me. "This letter arrived for you." He stated, his voice an almost perfect monotone. He handed me a small envelope. I tore it open, and inside was a small bit of old-fashioned parchment.

_Come to the arena at 8 pm tonight…I shall await you there. Bring your deck and duel disk._

I looked up at the clock, it was a quarter to eight. I sighed and headed for the door.

"Are you going somewhere?" I stopped at the door when I heard No Name again.

"Yeah, some guy wants me to go to the arena, I better see what he wants." With that, I left the dorm and headed for the arena.

When I arrived, the entire building was dark. The arena had been shut down for the night. I stepped in, muttering to myself indignantly. When I had reached the arena stage, the lights all flickered on. I looked behind me at first, but saw no one.

"At last, he arrives." I whirled around, the tails of my coat flying in a circle when I turned to face the source of the voice. There, standing on the arena stage was a tall young man. His red hair fell back as a fiery mane. He kept his face covered with a blood red cloth. His voice, although his mouth was covered by the cloth, was not muffled. Rather, it sounded as if he were using a voice changer to distort it. He wore a long black coat that was buttoned up securely. On his arm, he wore a duel disk identical to mine, so it was natural for me to surmise that I was dealing with a fellow student. I dawned my characteristically arrogant smirk.

"Well, if it isn't Darth Vader. So, what brings you here at this ungodly hour?" I inquired mockingly. The stranger raised his arm, his duel disk activating. Without a word, I knew what he wanted. Confidently I stepped up onto the stage, activating my duel disk and shotgun-shuffling my deck.

"You show such disregard for your cards…how shameful." The stranger scolded silently, shuffling his cards in a much gentler fashion.

"Hey shut up! I don't tell you how to duel, so don't tell me!" I shot back. The stranger shrugged.

"So be it, Mr.Quartermain, I'll let you go first if you're so confident." I drew my first five cards, and upon seeing Cyber Dragon in my hand, I shook my head.

"No thanks, Vader. The first turn is yours." The stranger shook his head impatiently.

_**Dorian: 4000**_

_**Stranger: 4000**_

"As you wish." He said, drawing his first card. "I summon Shadow Slayer in attack position, and one card face-down." He said with a calmness that to this day sends chills down my spine. I shook this off and drew.

"All right Vader, since you have a monster on your side of the field, and I don't, I can automatically summon Cyber Dragon!" My metallic serpent appeared, roaring and slithering.

_**Cyber Dragon**_

_**ATK: 2100**_

_**DEF: 1600**_

"Next up, I summon my Exiled Force!" a group of shabby-looking warriors appeared next to the Cyber Dragon.

_**Exiled Force**_

_**ATK: 1000**_

_**DEF:1000**_

"Now I can sacrifice them to destroy your monster!" The stranger gave no reaction as his Slayer was overrun by my soldiers. I smiled confidently, as far as I knew, this duel was already mine.

I can't even begin to say how wrong I was.

"Now Cyber Dragon, attack him directly!" As my dragon's blast made contact, I laughed triumphantly. "Ha! Guess you're not so intimidating, are you Vader?" I mocked, pointing at my masked opponent. The stranger sighed impatiently.

_**Dorian: 4000**_

_**Stranger: 1900**_

"Such pure arrogance…pathetic." He said as he drew. "I activate Brain Control! At a cost of 800 of my life points, I can take control of one of my opponent's monsters!"

_**Dorian: 4000**_

_**Stranger: 1100**_

My eyes widened when I saw my Cyber Dragon being dragged over to the stranger's side of the field. "Now I sacrifice your Cyber Dragon to summon Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch!" I stepped back as an enormous fireball erupted forth, covering the arena in it's blaze. When the fire cleared, I gazed at a giant figure, clad in molten hot armor.

_**Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch**_

_**ATK: 2400**_

_**DEF: 1000**_

"Next, I activate Monster Reborn and use it to resurrect your fallen Cyber Dragon!" I stared up in horror as my own metallic monster appeared once again on my opponent's side of the field. "Now Cyber dragon, attack your master directly!" I lurched back as I was hit by my own monster's blast.

_**Dorian: 1900**_

_**Stranger: 1100**_

"Now to finish this, Thestalos, attack! Molten explosion!" I suddenly found myself surrounded by heat. The monarch stared down at me and clapped its enormous hands. I screamed as I was hit by a blast of fire. Although it was a hologram, I could feel the burning pain. That pain, I would soon find out, was the fire that had finally begun to burn within me…that fire would lead to my life as a different person, a better man. When the flames cleared, I fell to one knee.

_**Dorian: 0**_

_**Stranger: 1100**_

"Now do you understand?" The stranger said. I looked up at him, confused.

"What are you talking about?!" I demanded. All I could think about was how quickly I had lost! The shame of it all!

"Hmph…you have so much to learn. Just remember this one thing…" The stranger said, stepping down from the arena stage. "…a duelist learns more from their losses than they do from their victories." I remained there, frozen for several moments. At the time, all I could think of was the fact that I had lost. At that moment, the crack in my heart had grown a little bit. But, it would take me time to realize that that duel had far more significance to it.

As the next few weeks passed, I found myself becoming even more furious in my dueling, determined to break away from the shame I felt for losing that match. But no matter how many duels I won, no amount of success could make me forget that match. I could tell Madeline knew what was going on, but all the same she continued to spend all her free time with me. She was my sole friend, my sole companion.

Winter break came faster than I could have imagined. A majority of the students went home for the holidays, but my family was on a three week-long trip to London to visit distant relatives, so in a manner of speaking I had nobody to go home to. Madeline's family was also visiting relatives, so she too was left to stay at the academy.

It was Christmas Eve, Madeline had invited me over to her dorm room for Christmas dinner. When I arrived, I was greeted by not only Madeline, but by another Obelisk blue student. She had long blonde hair, and wore a pair of blue jeans along with her uniform top. With this newcomer was a tall young man with a red ponytail. He was clad in all black, and his red hair was tied back in a ponytail. As I looked at him, I felt as if I had met him before. I shrugged this off, finally finding myself in a space where I was able to forget about what had happened that day.

"Dorian, this is Paul Wanderer and Tanya Foxfire." Madeline said, introducing us with a smile. I extended a hand to Paul.

"Nice to meet you Paul. I'm Dorian Quartermain." I said as Paul shook my hand.

"Oh yes, I've heard about you. Madeline told us you've made quite the reputation for yourself." Paul said. Tanya stepped forward and bowed her head to me.

"Yes, some of the students are even calling you Dorian Endgame." she said, her voice sounding as sweet as honey. I chuckled inside, so I had made a name for myself? The thought of that entertained me.

"So guys, whenever you're ready, I have dinner all set up!" The three of us looked over to see four pizza boxes stacked up on each other, along with three two-liter bottles of soda. How Madeline had managed to order pizza on this remote island I still don't know, but it smelled so good that it didn't matter to me. The four of us sat down for our humble Christmas feast.

"So Paul, what dorm are you in?" I inquired, taking a bite out of a pizza slice.

"I'm actually a Ra Yellow student. I don't really care for the uniforms here, though."

"Ra Yellow huh?" I repeated. "I see, yeah I don't think yellow would be a good color for you." We all chuckled at this. For the first time in a while, I really felt like I was enjoying myself.

It was around midnight that this festive little gathering reached its close. As I waved goodbye to them and headed back to my dorm, I looked out at the winter sky. The stars glittered above, it was a perfect night on Duel Academy Island. Perhaps I had begun to feel more at ease. Maybe things would turn out all right…

At the time, I had no idea what trials awaited me in the time before me…nothing could have prepared me for what would happen once school was back in session…

_End of Semester 1._


End file.
